by Janie Marie
David smiled innocently as he ran his fingers through his wet hair, but he quickly reached out and wrapped his hand around hers. It was only then she realized she had tried to touch his abs.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She darted her eyes up to see him watching her with amusement.
“No. I apologize. In my haste to return to you, I neglected to grab a shirt.”
Jane stared at him a moment longer before she dropped her gaze to his pants. She gasped as she stared at the veins along the “V” that dipped down.
“Can you find a shirt now?” she whispered, unable to look away.
David let go of her hand with a chuckle and turned away. She watched him in awe. Even the way he walked was attractive.
All thoughts on David’s sexiness ceased when she noticed the faint shimmering scars across his back as he entered his closet. She might have removed the silver, but it left its mark.
“Jane?” he called from the closet doorway.
She blinked away the stinging sensation in her eyes before looking back at his face. He was frowning while he stood there with a white T-shirt in his hand.
She tried to smile, but her lip quivered.
David slowly approached and then took her face between his hands. “What’s wrong?”
She looked at him sadly and shrugged. “I’m just feeling emotional.”
“You can be emotional.” David leaned down to place a soft kiss on her forehead then pulled back and smoothed her hair out of her face. “Still, you can tell me anything.”
She held his wrist in place; she didn’t want him to take his hands away after the reminder of when she’d almost lost him. “I was just looking at your scars.”
Understanding dawned on his face, and he smiled. “I’m fine, remember?” He eyed her until she nodded. “Those scars remind me Nathan is safe and that you saved me. I wear them proudly.” He smiled again. “They don’t bother me, sweetheart.”
When he put it like that, she felt better. “Maybe I can figure out how to erase them. Like when my entity fixed the wound I got from the werewolf.”
“No. I want to keep them.” He kissed her forehead again, and she froze when his door abruptly opened.
Jane expected it to be Jason, but it was the blond woman.
“Oh, David, I am so sor—” The woman stopped immediately when she made eye contact with Jane. Her venomous green eyes took in their position quickly before she glared at Jane.
It looked compromising, for sure. David was still shirtless and in the middle of pulling back from the innocent kiss to her forehead, but with his hands on her face, and Jane kneeling while clutching his wrist, it looked like more than it was.
Jane didn’t care about how incriminating their moment appeared. This lady had already been added to Jane’s list of people not to trust, and she was well aware of the interest the blonde had in David.
It shouldn’t matter that another woman was just coming to see David, but Jane was ready to destroy this chick.
“Melody, what are you doing in here?” The anger in David’s voice caused both Jane and Melody to break away from their glaring match.
Melody . . . Jane instantly hated that name.
Melody quickly morphed her sour look into an angelic one as she answered him in a sweet voice. “David, I came to apologize for last night. You know I meant nothing by my comment, and I am not upset with you for grabbing me. I am perfectly fine. I was simply eager to see you again. I told you I would wait for you, yet you returned with this woman.”
David growled, but Melody continued as though nothing was wrong.
“You cannot honestly tell me that you forgot our last encounter.”
The suggestive way Melody was looking at him made Jane’s blood boil, but David’s reaction caused the fire to simmer under her skin.
Jane returned her focus to him. He was tense, poised to attack, and his body temperature was rising so much it was almost unbearable to be near him.
“If by encounter you mean the day you waltzed in here and I ordered you to stop your pursuit and find another male to harass, then, yes, I recall it.”
“David, you always—”
He cut Melody off. “You know perfectly well I have no interest in you.” His voice was growing louder and more violent with each word, yet he still cradled Jane’s face with care. “Or did my hands around your throat not make my feelings clear for you?”
“David,” Jane cooed as she rubbed her hands up and down his forearms.
David darted his furious gaze to her, but it quickly faded.
Jane smiled and added, “Baby, calm down.” Her eyes widened with his at her words, but she wasn’t taking them back.
He gave her a stiff nod and righted himself as he let go of her face. He quickly put on his T-shirt and then took her hand before he turned his attention back to the intruder. “I don’t want to see you in my room or anywhere near my wing of the castle. Ever. You know I do not enjoy your company. Your wickedness disgusts me, and your inability to know when to withdraw from your quest for me is not the slightest bit entertaining.
“You insulted my Other last night. I will not forget or forgive your inappropriate remarks about her. I have no desire to look upon you, or hear your irritating voice ever again. Do you understand me?”
Melody stared at him in shock.
David growled. “My patience with your presence will not continue, so get out of my sight.”
Melody gaped at him and quickly looked at Jane as she waved her arms in her direction. “David, she’s married! You cannot honestly tell me you intend on taking a married woman from her husband. You choose her over me?”
David ground his teeth together. “She is my only choice. Now leave!”
“I would do as he says,” Jane said, surprising herself that she opened her mouth at all. But now that she had, she smiled confidently as Melody’s furious gaze snapped to her. “You’re embarrassing yourself and getting on my last nerve.”
David pinned his surprised eyes on her. She searched his gaze and felt her heart soar when a gorgeous smile spread over his face.
“Why are you still here?” Jane focused on Melody again.
When Melody sputtered out nonsense, Jane gave her a more violent look and allowed her power to pulse around her as she spoke. “I don’t have David’s patience or goodness. Leave his room and don’t even think of returning. Because I promise it will not be a pretty sight if you do.”
Melody’s eyes lit with fire as she opened her mouth.
Jane cut her off before she could utter a single word. “You have no idea who you’re messing with, bitch. Get out of his fucking room before I throw you out.”
The blonde stormed out, slamming the door shut behind her.
Jane glared at it, waiting to see if she would come back. She wasn’t going to show weakness around this woman again. In fact, she felt the need to show everyone she was superior in power.
A hot hand gently turned her head so she could no longer dare the next soul to enter David’s room.
“Baby, that was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
She blinked and after seeing his elated expression, she pushed down the urge to destroy all who opposed her.
He chuckled, kissing her nose, but now her humiliation set in. She couldn’t believe she had just done that.
She turned her head, trying to hide her flushed cheeks. “I did not mean to embarrass you.”
He gently forced her to look at him again. “You didn’t. That was incredible, and I am so proud that you stood up for yourself.”
She grinned. “I don’t like her. And I didn’t like her suggesting she was better than me. I know I shouldn’t care what you do . . . Oh, God, perhaps it wasn’t my place to step in. I mean, we’re not—”
David frowned and shook his head. “What have I repeatedly told you?”
She bit her lip and then muttered, “That you are mine whether I choose to be with you or not.”
“Exactly. You are ever
ything to me, Jane. There’s no one else for me. Your place will always be at my side if you want to take it.”
She peered up at him and asked something she really didn’t want to but couldn’t avoid. “Has anything happened between you and her?”
“Never,” he answered immediately. “I know you and I are not together, and I am not putting pressure on you, but there will never be another for me. You are all I want.”
With a nervous look, she began to spill her inner turmoil. “David, you know I can’t promise you a romantic relationship. I mean, you talked about Death taking advantage of my love, but I feel like I am doing the same to you. I need you to know I can’t be with you.” She watched a flicker of emotions cross his face but continued even if it hurt her. “At least not now. But I have developed strong feelings for you.” She smiled when he did. “I’m afraid to consider them more because I’m not sure I can handle what would happen if I did. Does that make sense?”
He gave her a sweet smile. “I do not expect you to make such decisions any time soon. Our situation is not a simple one. I am okay with moving at your pace. And if you never choose me, I will still stand by you however you need me to.”
“But you don’t have to wait for me.” She hadn’t meant to blurt that out. “I mean, I can’t make myself think of more between us, but I’ll understand if you change your mind about remaining loyal to me.” As her anxiety took over, she found herself talking faster and losing her breath. “I don’t want you to move on, but I want you to be happy. And I know that thousands of other women could make you happier than I ever could.” Her eyes burned as tears began to build. “I wish I could, really. I want you to be so happy, but I’m afraid. I’m not what you think. And Jason and Death. They—”
“Shh, relax. I understand. I know you are very much committed to Death as well as Jason. I’m not asking you to do anything, but that does not mean my mind isn’t made up. I am yours.” He stopped and caressed her hair. “So that is one thing you can stop stressing over.”
“But you can tell me if you change your mind,” she whispered. “I’d rather know right away.”
He grinned. “I will not, but if it makes you relax, I promise to tell you.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. “Now can you make me a promise?”
“Okay.”
“Promise you’ll try not to fight me when we both know you benefit from our closeness. I am your Other; I want to fully embrace that role with you.”
“We haven’t really talked about the whole Other thing. What would it involve to fully embrace being Others?”
He grinned and sat beside her. “Well, perhaps not fully embracing it since all previous Others have become spouses—but everything else.”
“Oh. I guess I assumed your Others were just wives.”
He frowned and took her hand. “Jane, an Other is more than a spouse, but a man’s wife is more than just his wife as well.”
“Yeah.” She looked at their hands. “So what’s everything else?”
David chuckled and raised her hand to his lips for a quick kiss. “You feed from me, mainly. Normally we would take turns feeding the other. Our situation is different since you require more blood, though. Mine seems to be the most potent for you to stay in control, so I only want you drinking donated blood if I am wounded. If you want it drawn and stored, I am willing to do that. Besides feeding, we rely on each other. There has to be incredible trust in the other person. Either in battle or any other scenario.” He winked.
“David!” She laughed. “I thought we were being serious.”
“Forgive me, baby.” A happy smile spread over his face. “Well, there is a lot more, but my main issue with us is stepping in when someone hurts you.” His hand tightened around hers. “You have had Death, but when he is performing other duties, you haven’t had anyone to turn to for help. Not even Jason, it seems. You have started to simply accept mistreatment and neglect as the norm for yourself. I will not stand by and watch it just because you have grown used to it. Even if Jason is the person I have to confront, I will. Husband or not, my Other—my Jane—will not be disrespected or harmed by anyone without them answering to me.”
“What will you do if it’s Jason?”
David looked her in the eye. “If he makes you sad or hurts you somehow, I will put him in his place. I won’t kill or inflict serious injury; I know he stands no chance in a fight with me, but I will make sure he knows that I will not allow you to be mistreated in any way.”
“You promise not to hurt him, though.”
He sighed. “If he harms you, I’m stepping in. Let’s leave it at that.”
Jane stayed quiet as different scenarios of David attacking Jason played through her mind.
“Jane?”
“Hmm?”
“Baby, I can see your mind racing. I promise I will not abuse my right as your Other.” He kissed her hand again. “Do you trust me?”
She stared into those incredible blue eyes. “I trust you. I know I’m hard to put up with—”
David stood up abruptly and turned to her. She was still kneeling on the bed, and she held her breath when he placed both hands on either side of her, caging her in. He smirked as he lowered his face within inches of hers.
Fear and excitement surged through her veins, but she stayed still. She said she would trust him and she wanted to prove it to him.
David grinned and kissed her cheek. “I have not, and never will, put up with you.” He leaned back and then kissed her other cheek. “Loving, cherishing, and protecting you are only a few things I will do. But I will never put up with you. You are not a burden to me. You are my greatest treasure, Jane.” He leaned back but kept his face inches from hers. “Have faith in me. I won’t let you down—and I will never give up on you or us.”
He said everything she needed to hear in that moment, and for the first time since Death and Jason, she gave David her complete trust.
A sort of giggle-cry escaped her as she threw her arms around his neck, taking him by surprise. “Thank you!”
David chuckled and brought his arms around her. His hug made her rise up from her knees, and she nearly melted when his hands rubbed up and down her back. “Always, sweetheart.” His breath kissed the skin on her neck and made it excruciatingly difficult not to turn her face to share a real kiss with him.
“Do you wish to shower now?” he asked, nuzzling her neck. “I believe my sister brought you some clothes. After you are freshened up, we can go see your family.” Her body tensed up when she remembered everything. David’s arms squeezed her and he spoke again. “I will be with you, remember?”
She nodded.
“Okay, do not worry about them. I will take care of all that. You have to trust me.”
She blew out a breath, nodding as she released him. David surprised her by grabbing her waist and lifting her off the bed.
“David!” She squeaked. It embarrassed her because she didn’t have a super narrow waist like most of the women she’d seen yesterday. “Don’t do that.”
He gave her a boyish look that made her tummy flutter. “But I was already touching you. A gentleman should assist a lady when she stands.”
Jane batted those butterflies down. “Just don’t surprise me. I don’t want you grabbing my”—she hesitated—“fat.”
He shot her an annoyed glare. “Baby, you are not fat—you have a gorgeous body. That should be obvious by how often I touch and pull you close to me. Soft and perfect, remember?” He grinned and led her out of his room. “Plus, my male instincts insist I show you how strong I am.”
Jane sighed as she let him drag her across the hall to her room. It was hard to accept that David saw her the way he described, but she felt her heart race whenever he did.
He shut her door, letting go of her hand before walking to a dresser. He pulled it open, looking inside with an unreadable expression. Jane didn’t know what he was looking for and walked up next to him as he
pulled something out.
Jane’s eyes widened, and she stared, horrified, as he pulled out a black lace thong. He was inspecting it as though he’d never seen one before.
“Stop looking at it!” She snatched it from his hands and chucked it into the drawer before slamming it shut.
David gave her a startled look when she shoved him back and braced herself in front of the dresser. She held her hands out as if she could prevent him from passing her if he wanted to.
He slowly pointed to the dresser. “What was that?”
“Nothing.” Her face grew hot.
He eyed her and then the dresser until a look of understanding came over his face. “Were those panties?”
Jane shook her head back and forth while a teasing gleam appeared in his eyes.
“Yes, they were.” He smirked and crossed his arms. “Are you embarrassed I touched your panties?”
“They weren’t panties!” she screeched.
David laughed as he walked toward the bed and sat.
Jane watched him with wide eyes. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to wait here while you shower. I told you I do not want you anywhere without me right now. Go ahead, I’ll wait.”
She gave him a little nod and decided to just get the whole situation over with. When she searched the room for signs of where to go, he pointed to one of the doors.
“That’s the bath,” he said. “You can find some extra clothes in the closet.”
Jane tried to calm herself and walked over to the closet. She was very aware he was watching every move she made, but she tried to ignore those penetrating, blue eyes and flicked on the light switch.
To her surprise, she found a large selection of dresses and formal looking attire. Jane wasn’t a fan of dresses or fancy clothes, so she searched until she found a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. If David was only wearing sweatpants, she figured casual was appropriate.
She grabbed what she needed and walked back into the room. David was still on her bed, watching her like a predator. It made her crave nothing more than to be his unsuspecting prey. Stop it, Jane, she mentally hissed at herself.